


Conviction

by Lemonsmoothie



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Angst, Chapter 1 is all hurt, Dark, Death Threats, F/M, Female Reader, Gen, Hostage Situation, Hurt/Comfort, Masayoshi Shido is not a nice guy, NSFW, Non-Consensual Bondage, Non-Consensual Touching, PhantomThief!Reader, Reader attends Kosei High, Reader-Insert, Strappado, Torture, Whipping
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-09
Updated: 2020-06-08
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:08:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,515
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24619600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lemonsmoothie/pseuds/Lemonsmoothie
Summary: My first second-person fic. Rather than take pills to temporarily stop his heart, Masayoshi Shido takes a different approach to preventing his change of heart the night the video calling card is broadcasted: to take one of the Phantom Thieves hostage.[You're abducted by Masayoshi Shido, who offers the Leader of the Phantom Thieves a sinister bargain: surrender, or you die. That you happen to be the Leader's girlfriend is just icing on the cake for the power-mad Prime Minister hopeful.]
Relationships: Kurusu Akira/Reader, Persona 5 Protagonist/Reader
Comments: 4
Kudos: 53





	Conviction

**Author's Note:**

> Reader is a Phantom Thief, and she joined around the time of infiltrating Futaba’s palace. Her Persona is up to the reader, but her innate arcana is Aeon. She is eighteen and a senior at Kosei High. 
> 
> Abbreviations:  
> [y/n] = your given name  
> [P/n] = Persona name  
> [l/n] = your last/family name  
> [code/name] = Phantom Thief code name
> 
> Reader is eighteen but mind the tags. TW for rape/noncon elements as well as torture: non-consensual touching, whipping, strappado, threats.  
> Only Royal spoiling is a Royal-exclusive character mentioned and later appearing.

You feel a wave of cold water splash you, waking you from a daze. You open your eyes. You’re in a sitting position, with your hands pinned behind your back. There are metal cuffs around your wrists, securing you to a hard wooden chair. 

“[y/n][l/n]. Also known as the Phantom Thief [code/name].” The speaker is Masayoshi Shido, the most popular candidate for Japan’s Prime Minister. Also known as a master manipulator with a mile-long trail of blood behind him. As if him being responsible for the deaths of your friend Haru’s father and Futaba’s mother wasn’t enough to make you want to smash his face in, he’s also the scum that got your boyfriend exiled for simply trying to help a terrified woman. He’s holding a bucket, which is doubtlessly what he used to dump water on you. He tosses it to one side, the sound of the tin striking the concrete floor echoing through the dark room. 

“All right, you know who I am,” you reply. You remember you were heading home to get a good night’s sleep in preparation for stealing Shido’s treasure tomorrow, though you really wanted to check the internet for buzz about the calling card. Because Futaba truly outdid herself. That was glorious. “Where are the others?” 

“Safe in their homes. I have put in an order to apprehend Sojiro Sakura that will be carried out tomorrow, but your partners in crime are safe for the time being.” 

“Leave Boss out of this,” you snap. “He had nothing to do with this.” 

“You are in no position to be making demands,” Shido says. 

You strain against the handcuffs. “So you’re going to have your friends in the police beat and drug me?” 

“Nothing so inelegant.” 

“Then why am I here?” You try to sound as demanding as possible, but your voice cracks. 

“Isn’t it obvious? I want the leader of your group. So I am going to send him a preposition. He surrenders himself, or your life is forfeit.” 

“So I’m a hostage,” you say. “Why me?” 

He opens a folder. Inside are photos and miniature profiles on all of the Phantom Thieves. He also picks up a photo. It’s just a snapshot of the Phantom Thieves at Leblanc. Everyone is smiling and laughing. Akira and you are holding hands. Akechi must have discreetly snapped this during one of the meetings. 

Your throat is dry. 

“They say turnabout is fair play,” Shido began. “The Phantom Thieves threatened to take my heart, therefore I decided to take the leader’s heart. It complicated things that the boy’s heart is no longer his own, but I’m not the type to give up easily.”

He takes out a tiny key and unlocks the handcuffs.

You stand up, rubbing your wrists. You can’t call [P/n] in the real world, otherwise you could fight. You obviously don’t have your cell phone or any weapons. Not that your model gun could actually kill anything bigger than an earthworm. You scan the surroundings. No windows, no visible doors. No way to escape. 

You weigh briefly the idea of taking him on bare-handed. The training sessions in the Metaverse have made you stronger than the average girl. At least you hope so. But you discard this plan. Shido is tall and well-built, and probably has a concealed gun. Even if he were unarmed, the size difference alone makes the possibility of victory close to zero. 

“Strip. Now.” Shido barks. 

“No,” you say, fear starting to creep in. 

“You do it or I’ll disrobe you myself,” Shido says coldly. 

“What are you doing?” You ask, hands numbly moving to the buttons of your uniform blazer. 

“Oh, this isn’t for my benefit. It’s for your boyfriend’s.” 

“You said the others were safe…” 

“Undress and I’ll tell you.” 

You unbutton your blazer and let it fall to the floor, followed by the uniform blouse and your skirt. Next comes the shorts you wear under your skirt in case there’s a strong breeze. Your shoes are missing. They probably fell off when you were grabbed. 

Shido motions you to continue. 

You unhook your bra and roll down your socks, hoping he’ll let you keep your panties, if nothing else. No such luck. He’s glaring at you, and you squeeze your eyes shut and take off your underwear. This is clear psychological warfare, forcing you to be naked while he remains fully clothed. He grabs your wrists and drags you to a table. You notice for the first time he’s wearing very thick gloves. It does make sense that he wouldn’t want to leave fingerprints in what you assume is a black site for those crooked cops on Shido’s payroll. He lays you on your back and secures your wrists and ankles with plastic zip ties. Your father taught you a trick to get out of ropes, but unfortunately that trick won’t work on zip ties. Still, you strain against the plastic. 

He slides a small pillow under your head and passes a leather belt over your stomach, tightening it as much as possible. 

You thrash desperately. 

“Stop that. You’ll only make it worse for yourself,” Shido orders. He winds something around your wrists. Something that immediately digs into the flesh. You gaze blankly at the silver wire, dread hitting your stomach when you realize what it is.

“Why both the zip ties and the barbed wire?” You ask, keeping your wrists as still as possible to stop the wire from scratching you. Blood is already oozing from several cuts. 

“The zip ties were merely to keep your wrists in place. I didn’t want to cut up any more of you than was necessary.” 

“How kind of you…” you mutter. 

He slips a leather collar around your neck before taking out a cell phone and snapping a photo. 

“Is that photo for your album?” You ask dryly. 

“I needed a photo with the best possible impact to send with my surrender ultimatum. What do you think your dear boyfriend will think when he sees this?” 

“Horrible,” you answer. You don’t even want to see yourself in this state. 

“So won’t he want to immediately save you?” Shido asks. 

“He would never surrender to you,” you said. 

“What other option does he have? Go to the police? They would just lock him up.”   
“You think a cheap tactic like this will make him fold. You can’t fathom how strong he is.” 

“Really? On the contrary, your little lover boy is a coward at heart. Hiding behind a mask, somehow managing to escape my trap.” 

You burst out laughing. You know it isn’t a good idea to egg on the criminal mastermind who wants to essentially take over the country, especially when he has you bound in barbed wire, but you can’t help yourself. “I find that hard to believe,” you say acridly. “Who’d have thought cowardice would ever offend you? And hiding behind a mask? What would you call that nice-guy persona you’ve been displaying to hide the self-serving bastard underneath? I know what you’re really like, Masayoshi Shido.” 

“Do you, dear?” He sounds more amused than angry. 

“You and your little snotty buddies just hang to the rear on everything, so if we ever go under, you’ll still remain afloat.” You’ve seen his heart. Tokyo is completely underwater, with that gaudy pleasure cruise ship just carrying on like nothing is wrong. You guess ‘like Nero fiddling while Rome burned’ would also be applicable, but…

“Are you calling me a coward?” 

“Yes,” you say. “Coward.” 

He slaps you across the face. The impact causes you to jerk in your bonds, creating a few new gouges to your wrists. 

“I had wondered what your leader sees in you, you little impudent brat. After all, you’re not a glamorous blonde fashion model, a genteel heiress, a genius hacker, or a near-genius Student Council President.” 

“You don’t have to rub it in,” you reply. You’ve pondered that same question over and over. You really aren’t as beautiful as Ann, or as delicate and classy as Haru. Even with Makoto’s tutoring, you have to study hard just to pass in certain subjects, like math, so both Makoto and Futaba have you stolidly beat in the intelligence department. And in Futaba’s case, the intelligence-gathering department. Even outside the Phantom Thieves, you’re nowhere near as talented and driven as Kasumi Yoshizawa, nor do you have the quiet dignity of your kohai Hifumi. You once confided these feelings to Akira, who reassured you that you were the one he loved. 

You remember asking, “Why do I have such an odd arcana? The Aeon is part of the Thoth Tarot. Everyone else has arcana from the standard Rider-Waite-Smith.” 

He kissed you and replied, “Because you’re unique.” 

Your train of thought is derailed by Shido rubbing a thumb against one of your nipples, which are erect in the cold room. You let out a cry of surprise. He moves down to your inner thighs. Your face feels hot as you try futilely to bring your legs together. 

“Is he so gentle?” Shido asks. 

You look away from him, as he continues fondling you all over your body. A moan escapes your lips despite your efforts to keep silent. You hope he didn’t hear it. 

He heard it. “Do you have an older man kink?” 

He had to bring that up. Here you are, being touched by a man who fathered an eighteen year old boy and is old enough to be your father. 

“I could give your boyfriend a…demonstration, if you’d like.” Shido croons to you. “Make him watch. I have thirty years of experience in the pleasures of the flesh. Maybe you’ll end up preferring me to him.” 

You try not to give him the pleasure of seeing you shudder in disgust. You tell yourself to think it through rationally. Akechi had obviously been feeding Shido information on the Phantom Thieves. So Shido knows that his Treasure will only manifest in his Palace for about a day after the calling card is sent. So he thinks that he could at least deter Akira long enough to prevent the change of heart. 

“He’ll disregard your threat,” you say. It’s now or never. Shido has to be stopped. Killing his shadow would be easy, but we would never stoop to his level. Akira knows that. You couldn’t possibly ask him to trade the future of the country for your life. 

“He’ll know I’m serious,” Shido answers. “I could have you killed now, dump your body where he’ll see it first thing in the morning tomorrow.” 

“You could,” you say. “But you won’t. You’re afraid that if you do kill me, he’ll be so mad that he’ll kill your Shadow in your Palace, sentencing you to the same death that you so casually inflicted on Mr. Okumura and countless others.” 

“It’s possible he would do that anyway,” Shido says. “But I do dabble in gambling here and there and I haven’t lost yet.” 

Between shtupping prostitutes and gambling, how does he get any work done?! 

“I am not entirely without mercy,” Shido says. “Once he has surrendered, you’ll have some time with him. And I’ll bury you together.” 

Of course he’d pull the classic “I lied” gambit. He really is a cartoon supervillain. “Let’s just say he does surrender to you…” You try not to dwell on the idea of what would befall Akira if that happened. “What about the others? They won’t give up.” 

“They’ll never make a move without their beloved leader. And that idea about forcing him to watch helplessly as I ravish you could deter them further. All I’d have to do is send them a video.” 

“How can you be so cruel?” 

“Because I know that to kill a person, you need to crush their heart. Akechi did that wondrously using the Metaverse. But I want to see the Leader of the Phantom Thieves defeated, kneeling before me…” 

“Again, he’ll change your heart instead.” 

“Do you think you mean that little to him?” 

“I know I mean a lot to him,” you answer. “But he would never sacrifice a whole country just for one person.” 

“So you’re willing to be the sheep on the altar?” 

“If it means Japan will be free from your corruption, then yes.” You sniffle. You don’t want to die. 

You try to tell yourself that Akira suffered far worse in that interrogation room and was almost killed, were it not for Makoto and Futaba’s impeccable planning. He took that risk and endured torture just to keep the rest of us safe. You need to return the favor. 

Besides, the Phantom Thieves could easily survive without you. They would not likely survive without their leader. Like it or love it, Akira is the glue that keeps us together. 

There’s a clicking sound. Shido’s taken out some wire cutters and removed the barbed wire, but not the zip ties. You cry out as the wire embedded in your flesh is torn loose. 

“I am going to ask you questions. If you lie or refuse to answer to, well…” 

“I’ll answer.” You can’t guarantee he’ll like your answers but staying silent will just make him angry and hurt you more. 

“Where is Akechi?” 

“I don’t know!” It’s not a lie. 

“He didn’t try to do anything foolish like defect to your group?” Shido asks. 

“No…” you reply. Again, not a lie. 

The disgust you felt in the engine room comes flooding back. Akechi called that odious cognition that wore his face like a mummy case wears a pharoah’s “a puppet.” But Shido didn’t just want to make his own son into a puppet…he wanted some sort of sick pre-programmed death machine. Kunikazu Okumura was a controlling asshole who thought of everyone around him as robots eager to serve him, but even he never forced Haru to kill people. 

“You seem lost in thought,” Shido says dryly. 

“You did that to your own son,” you answer in frustration. You wonder once again, if someone dies in the cognitive world, does the body surface in the real one? Or will Akechi’s body be lost when the palace crumbles? He was an insane serial killer, but even he didn’t deserve to die like that. Nor should he be denied final rites. 

You don’t believe in ghost stories, but the thought of Akechi’s ghost haunting your friends chills you. 

Though, if Shido is looking for him, his body must not have been found in the Diet Building. Even Shido might not be able to keep the discovery of the body of a minor celebrity quiet. He probably would spin some bullshit narrative about how the “virtuous” Detective Prince was going about his duty hunting down the “evil” Phantom Thieves when they killed him.

Shido had initially met your assertion with silence, but now he breaks your train of thought. “Once, some little shit came up to me hoping to blackmail me with a paternity suit. He even managed to abscond with a drinking glass from a club I frequent and ran a DNA test. I had Akechi take care of it. I ordered him to destroy the body so thoroughly that no DNA could ever be recovered. He completely delivered.” He gives you that horrible smile. “Isn’t that hilarious? One bastard destroying another?” 

“You’re a monster,” you answer. 

He ignores your opinion. “What are the weaknesses of the remaining Phantom Thieves?” 

“Didn’t your plant supply you with information?” You retort. 

He takes out a leather belt and strikes you with the buckle end. It cracks across your chest. 

“I won’t let you hurt them,” You said. “You can whip me as much as you want.” That Akira is in danger because of you already hurts. You’re not going to let the others suffer. 

He picks up something metal from the edge of your peripheral vision. 

This time, your scream echoes through the chamber. Your eyes are watering, but your vision clears up enough to realize he had used a chain this time. 

“Someone could hear…” You say once you have recovered from the blow. 

“This chamber is completely soundproofed. And even if someone did hear you and called the police, well, the police work for me. I am untouchable. And it’s time you brats realize that.” 

“We know,” you say. “It’s because you have that attitude we sought to take your heart. Honestly, if you could see what your heart looks like on the inside. But if you could, you’d probably be proud.” 

“Which reminds me. What is that odd cat? Akechi said he was the one who brought your group to Mementos.” 

You hesitate. You don’t want to get hit again but answering honestly will probably make him angry. And he could probably tell if you make something up. “I don’t really know.” 

“Can it be killed with conventional weapons?” 

Maybe try to intimidate him. Just because Akechi doesn’t know anything about Morgana, and let’s face it, even Morgana’s history is a mystery to himself, maybe you can get away with a bluff. “I highly doubt you could kill him.” 

He switches back to the leather belt and strikes you again, the buckle striking your sensitive pubic mound. You scream. 

“What the hell?” You gasp out. “That was an honest answer!” 

“This is getting us nowhere.” He takes out wire cutters and cuts off the zip ties, and removes the leather belt around your waist. He grabs your still-raw wrists and drags you to the corner of the room. He places you on what appears to be a wooden crate and pulls your arms up. You try to kick him, but he’s standing to the side, so it’s too awkward. There’s a click as your wrists are placed into heavy iron shackles. The shackles seem to protrude from the wall, but are slightly higher than where your wrists are, making you stand on tiptoes to relieve the pressure building in your arms. Your ankles are then placed into a pair of shackles chained to the wall, putting more weight on your arms. 

The pain intensifies. Your arms and shoulders feel like they’re going to shatter from the pressure. 

“Let me go…” you beg. You’re no stranger to pain. In the metaverse, you’ve been struck with physical blows, shocked, set on fire, and kicked when you’re down. Nuke spells felt like your flesh was being seared to the bone and the gun spells really did make you feel like you had been shot. Well, what you surmise a gunshot is like. And critical hits made you feel like you had been struck by a mack truck. But this felt worse. Maybe it was because you were without your friends and alone with this psychopath. Or because no healing spells would be forthcoming. 

What feels like an hour later, you can’t even speak. You’re a broken, sobbing mess. 

“That was only ten minutes,” Shido releases you from your bonds. You tumble forward, striking your knees on the concrete floor, but that pain feels dull in comparison. You sob some more. 

Ten minutes? That had to be a lie. “Nghh…” You can barely think. The pain in your arms is blocking out any thought. 

“It seems neither one of us will be getting any sleep tonight,” Shido says. “But I can’t take the day off tomorrow. That would send the wrong message.” He sighs. “My work is never done.” He checks his watch. “Your boyfriend will wake up in a few hours. Assuming he’s a normal teenager who checks his cell phone immediately upon waking, you’ll be seeing him soon.” 

You can barely string a sentence together, but you manage to gasp out, “Spare…him…” 

Shido chuckles. “You can barely talk, yet you ask me to spare him?” 

“I…beg…you…” 

“Again, I wondered why he chose you, when he had so many other radiant young ladies fawning over him. I suppose this is why.” He picks you up as easily as he would a doll and sets you back on that table. Your head rests on the pillow. Ordinarily, you wonder why he’d provide such a kindness, but your brain is too foggy to think coherently. Shido doesn’t bother with restraints this time. He knows you’re too broken to struggle. 

You hear his footsteps receding, then what sounds like a sliding door. Then silence. 

XXX

This is my first second-person story.   
Yes, that line about “hanging to the rear on every issue, so if we ever go under, you’ll still remain afloat” is a reference to 1776. It never felt more appropriate.   
It is my headcanon that Shido sired another bastard son, who did try to blackmail Shido, having no idea who he was screwing with. Shido had no compunctions whatsoever about ordering Akechi to kill him.   
I know Shido might not brag openly to the viewpoint character, but honestly? He was obviously having fun bragging with Akechi like their dirty deeds were something to be proud of. He probably would gloat over a captured Phantom Thief.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed. I'm hoping to do a comfort chapter next. I'm still fairly new to posting here, so I haven't gotten the hang of tagging yet.


End file.
